Liver cirrhosis-specific glycoforms of serum proteins in chronic hepatitis B infection: identification by lectin affinity chromatography and quantitative proteomic profiling.

In Hong Kong and China, chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is the commonest cause of liver cirrhosis, which is also a risk factor for development of hepatocellular carcinoma. In CHB patients, persistent hepatic inflammation leads to progressive liver fibrosis and subsequently cirrhosis. The process of liver cirrhosis is reversible. Accurate diagnosis is crucial for the management of CHB patients.1 Liver biopsy is the gold standard for diagnosing cirrhosis, but is an uncomfortable and risky procedure. Therefore, serum markers for reliable detection of liver cirrhosis are needed. Carbohydrate side-chains of serum glycoproteins are altered in patients with liver cirrhosis. Degrees of fucosylation on haptoglobin, alpha1-acid glycoprotein and cholinesterase increase in liver cirrhosis, but not in viral or chronic hepatitis.2 Hyposialylated variants of haptoglobin, alpha1-antitrypsin, and transferrin are detected in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis.3 We developed a method to profile specific types of glycosylation variants of serum proteins by the combined use of lectin affinity chromatography and two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE).4 We aimed to identify serum glycoproteins as biomarkers of liver cirrhosis.